Dark Side
by WritelkeUmeanit
Summary: Emma never wanted her family to know the dark parts of her past. But she can only evade the truth for so long… (Post S2 Finale. Charming feels!)
1. Scarred

**A/N:**

Ask and you shall receive! I've been getting a lot of requests for some Emma/David fluff, so here it is guys! I agree with everyone; we need more of this! So here's a little something centered on a prompt given to me by, **_Nahbois68_**. Thanks for the idea!

Hope everyone enjoys! I'd really appreciate your thoughts before you go. Also, keep the prompts coming! I'm always on the hunt for new story ideas.

**A Dark Matter**

Everyone kept telling her that she needed to get some rest. Even Rumpelstiltskin wasn't sure exactly where Tamara and Greg landed, but Hook predicated another few hours until landfall. That was enough ammo for Snow to insist that Emma try and sleep. Of course Emma argued, but even she could hear that her own words were weak.

Eventually, Emma gave in to her parents' pleas. She knew she wouldn't sleep with worries of her son's well-being plaguing her thoughts, but maybe she could manage to rest a little. With that in mind, Emma wandered below deck, to a cabin with a few cots. On one of them, she found the black backpack that her mother brought along. Emma didn't know what Mary Margaret decided to bring, but she thought looking was worth a shot.

After searching through the bag, Emma found a first aid kid, a compass, a box of matches, some food, and a change of clothes for herself and Mary Margaret. Emma made sure to grab Henry's backpack that was left behind when he was taken. Moving to the green bag, Emma looked inside to see Henry's fairytale book, some candy, a bag of medicine- put in by Mary Margaret, Emma guessed- and a change of clothes for Henry and David.

Emma sighed. She tossed the book on a cot, grabbed the shirt her mother packed for her, and then stuffed everything else back to where they were. Then Emma took her coat off. She didn't care about changing into the sweatpants that were there; her leggings were comfortable enough and she couldn't think to muster the energy to do so.

"Hey, is your mom's bag-" David turned the corner to walk in just as Emma was pulling the shirt from her head, her back facing him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should've knocked."

"It's okay," Emma brushed away while fixing her shirt. She turned to show her father a smile but he was standing in the doorway, his head hung and his back to her. Emma's smile furthered. "You can turn around. I'm decent now."

David spun around. He was about to apologize again and say why he came down: Hook needed a compass, but his mind did a double take. His brows furrowed in thought as he realized he caught a glimpse of something, a red streak across Emma's back. The man frowned.

"David?"

"Did you get hurt earlier? When you were fighting off Tamara?"

"No. Why?" Emma asked in confusion.

"I thought I saw something on your back."

"You didn't," Emma answered quickly.

David held her eyes. Emma was too tired. She sighed in relent.

"It's just a scar."

"How did it happen?"

"It's really no big deal."

"It is to me."

"Why?" Emma shot back, her harsh tone shocking David. Emma frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Emma, I'm your dad," David started while approaching her. "You don't think I care if something bad happened to you?"

"It was accident," Emma said while putting her blue turtleneck in her mother's backpack.

The words were robotic, like she said them a thousand times.

"Did someone do that to you?" David asked, his eyes glued to her face, waiting for her reaction.

"It doesn't matter. It was decades ago. It's just a scar. Nothing to worry about."

"Emma," David said, his voice gentle as he found her eyes. "I know I wasn't around to be with you as you grew up, but that doesn't mean that the things that happened to you don't matter. Anything you went through, it matters… your past is my past. It's your mother's past… We want to know about your life, Emma. Your mom's been wanting to talk to you. I've had to stop her countless times because I don't want you to push her away and you every right to, but it would crush her… we've been awake, night after night, worried about what you went through growing up. I have to keep your mom from running up to your bedroom and waking you up… if no one's been around to listen to you, that isn't the case anymore. You have a family now. You have a mom and a dad who want to know everything."

Emma could see that Mary Margaret wanted to talk. But she always managed to dodge the bullet. She didn't know things were weighing so heavily on her mother. She didn't know it mattered that much.

"Okay," Emma agreed, her words above a whisper.

David gave a small smile of thanks. "Can I see it?"

Emma turned around. She pulled her shirt to the middle of her back to reveal a long pink scar etched into her skin. David couldn't stop a deep frown.

"What happened?" he asked in disbelief as he put his fingers to the skin around the scar.

Emma lowered her shirt. She sat down. David joined her.

"I was Henry's age. The people I was living with... the guy was nice when he wanted to be, but he spent most of time drunk off his ass. I stayed away from him when I could. But one day I got home late from school. His wife told me he got fired, to just do what I need to do and go to bed. But he saw that my chores weren't done when they should've been. He started yelling and stomping around and breaking things. His face was so red, I thought he was going to explode. I was scared so I started running and he went after me. When I went to open the door to go outside, he pushed me and I fell down the stairs, against the railing. The edge was sharp…"

Emma dared to look at David. His face was filled with so much sadness that it broke her heart.

"It's okay. I don't think about it anymore. I left there after that. They sent me away," Emma explained, trying to change his expression.

"Did anyone else hurt you?" David demanded.

Yes. But Emma didn't say that. Instead, she shook her head.

David put his arm around his daughter and pulled her head to his chest. "Nothing like that was ever supposed to happen to you."

"Hey?"

The pair looked up at Mary Margaret's voice, but David couldn't let go. He closed his eyes and held Emma tight as he put a kiss to the top of her head.

Mary Margaret looked between the two. "Did something happen? Something else?" she quickly clarified.

David looked to Emma to see her eyes pleading for him to keep quiet. He gave Emma a last squeeze before standing up and leaving the room, giving his wife a kiss as he past her.

Mary Margaret's forehead was wrinkled in confusion as she looked to Emma.

"He's just… worried about everyone. You know, back in Storybrooke."

Mary Margaret didn't buy that. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"We had a talk," Emma explained. "He's an emotional guy, isn't he?"

"Yes, he can be."

Emma nodded.

"Not gonna tell me, huh?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Emma-"

"No, trust me, you don't," she said.

Mary Margaret didn't want to argue. Normally, she'd press the issue, but not today, not after everything that's happened.

"I'll let you sleep. Just need to grab the compass. Hook keeps complaining that a mermaid stole his."

Emma smiled, but Mary Margaret didn't do the same. As she reached in the backpack for the compass, she wished Emma goodnight.

"I won't sleep. I'm too wired."

"You should try."

"Or we could talk," Emma offered.

"But I thought-"

"There are some things I don't want you to know, okay? Some things that have hurt me and I don't want them to hurt you… but I'll tell you about the good things… if you want to hear them."

"Really?" Mary Margaret asked, her tone hopeful.

Emma nodded, a smile on her face.

Mary Margaret couldn't help a large grin. "I'll be right back!"

An amused smile took Emma's lips. "Okay."

_The End_

**Thoughts before you go? Please and thank you! Hope you liked! Remember, send those story prompts my way!**


	2. Fears

**A/N- **Thanks to popular demand, here's some Emma/Snow fluff for you to enjoy! Hope ya like!

**Dark Side**

**Chapter Two: Fears**

Before the curse was shattered, Emma didn't pay much thought to Henry's fairytale book. But since coming back from the Enchanted Forest, Emma found herself flipping through the pages, even studying the words and finding meaning. Now, her eyes were wide open.

Sitting in a cot below deck on the Jolly Roger, Emma found herself starring at a picture of her mother's seemingly life less body lying in a glass coffin. She was so entranced that she didn't hear the footsteps coming through the room.

"Not one of my best days."

Emma looked up at the sound of her mother's voice. Mary Margaret frowned at Emma's fallen face.

"Your father saved me."

Emma nodded. Her eyes went back to the picture. "True love's kiss," she murmured.

"Can break any curse," Mary Margaret added.

Emma went to another page, her eyes landing on a picture of David and Mary Margaret, her father holding a pendant over her mother's open palm.

"That's when I found out I would one day have a baby."

"A necklace told you that?"

Mary Margaret nodded while taking a seat next to Emma.

"King George had tricked me into drinking a vile potion that cursed me to a future where I would never have children."

Before Emma could question her mother's recollection, Mary Margaret smiled and continued. "I was supposed to finally meet your grandmother, David's mom. David went to pay her visit, but there was an ambush. She was shot by an arrow. We traveled to Lake Nostos, but the land was dry. Lancelot managed to find a sip of water. The lake was filled with healing properties. The water lifted the curse from my body… I never told David, but before his mother died, she gave me that necklace. I believe she got it from a gypsy. Depending on the direction the pendant sways, the sex of the baby or any future child is revealed."

Emma's lips curved to a small smile.

"I knew I would have a girl."

"Was that what you wanted?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret said through a growing smile. "Of course, either way I would have been happy. But knowing I was having a little girl… from that moment, all I could think about was all the things I wanted to do with you. There was so much I wanted to teach you… the life you had instead… well, I suppose fate intervened. Had you grown up with your father and I, we wouldn't have Henry."

"He's the best thing I've ever done," Emma murmured, her attention focused on the book in her lap.

Mary Margaret smiled.

"He's a smart kid. I don't know where he gets it from."

"Oh, Emma, we can all see you in Henry."

"I, uh, did play the runaway game a few times. He scares the hell outta me when he does that."

Mary Margaret smiled further as Emma went to another page. A minute passed as Emma studied the picture, this one of a young Snow standing beside her mother's bedside.

"If this is something you don't want to talk about, I understand, but… well, I've always been curious… did you ever think about keeping Henry?"

Emma nodded.

"Really?" Mary Margaret questioned gently. "If you… if you didn't-"

"Go to jail?"

Mary Margaret nodded.

"A lot of things would have had to happen differently."

Mary Margaret let the silence hang in the air. She wanted to know more but didn't want to push. Then Emma surprised her.

"We made all these ridiculous plans… sell the jewelry he stole, get new ids, go to Tallahassee… start over… I didn't know, but I was pregnant when we thought up that pipe dream… I didn't wanna screw him up, ya know? He deserved better than me. I didn't have a mom; I didn't know how to be one. I still don't know how… I wanted him to be with people who could take care of him and give him a good life… little did I know I was giving him away to the Evil Queen."

Mary Margaret took her daughter's hand and gave a gentle squeeze. She brushed her thumb across Emma's knuckles.

"Regina has spread an abundance of hate and despair… but I know her heart hasn't been consumed by darkness, not completely… there's love there, for Henry. She would never hurt him."

"I know," Emma agreed quietly.

"That's not what's bothering you," Mary Margaret realized.

"I gave my kid away," Emma said, her eyes on the wooden floor boards.

"So did I," Mary Margaret echoed.

"You did that to save me … you did it so she wouldn't kill me… I didn't realize at first. Henry pointed it out to me… Regina would have taken me from you. She would have killed me."

A deep frown took Mary Margaret's face.

"You let me think you did it so I could fulfill the prophecy and save the Enchanted Forest, but you wanted to save me."

"I couldn't let her take you," Mary Margaret said as tears welled in her eyes. "Yes, she would have killed you, and right in front of me, in front of Mary Margaret… my heart would have broken to a million pieces and I wouldn't know why… I had to give you your best chance, Emma… all I had to hang onto was a prophecy and a bit of hope… Of course I wanted you to save everyone, but more than anything, I wanted to do what I could to keep you safe."

"Damn it," Emma cursed in frustration while wiping away a few fallen tears. "We're supposed to be talking about good things."

"Emma, you are a good thing. _You're_ the best thing _I've_ ever done."

Emma shook her head. "You don't know enough about me to say that."

"Doesn't matter."

Part of Emma wanted to tell her mother the truth. She wanted to tell her that she once slept with a married man. That one of her foster brothers touched her, for months. That she was horrible in school, for years. That she grew up getting yelled and screamed at. That she lost her virginity when she was thirteen. That more often than not, she would go to bed with a growling stomach. That she lied to a counselor when she was asked if her foster dad ever hit her… that she was broken, damaged goods… that she didn't have a fairytale childhood…

Mary Margaret could see that Emma was lost in thought. That she was struggling with words she couldn't bring herself to say.

"Emma, I realize that you are a grown woman, but you are still my daughter… you don't have to worry about protecting me. That's my job. Let me worry about you… whatever you told your father, I want to know about it."

"I didn't want to tell him. But he didn't give me much of a choice."

That just made Mary Margaret's confusion grow.

"Telling you, it won't make it go away. It still would have happened. Everything still would have happened. And it's okay. It is what it is."

"If Henry had bad experiences before you came back into his life, would you want to know about it?"

Emma frowned.

"I need to know, Emma," Mary Margaret pressed in desperation.

Emma knew she was right. If anything happened to Henry, she would need to know.

Emma stood up while lifting her shirt above her stomach. Then she turned around.

Before Mary Margaret could question what Emma was doing, her eyes widened at the long pink scar laced into Emma's back.

Emma pulled her shirt down while turning around. She looked back to her mother to find a fresh round of tears clouding Mary Margaret's eyes. She didn't know what to say. She was trying to come up with something when Mary Margaret stood up and wrapped her arms around her.

"You need to rest."

Emma's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'll stay with you, okay?" Mary Margaret said while pulling away. She moved to the end of the cot and propped a small pillow against her legs, then signaled for Emma to put her head down.

Emma didn't argue. She laid down across the cot and closed her eyes while thinking that it was too much. The scar was just the tip of the iceberg… the rest of her past, it would be too much for her mother to handle. Would her past change how Mary Margaret looked at her? Thinking how it could, that was one of Emma's greatest fears.

_TBC…_

**Thoughts before you go? Please do! I'd love some feedback! **


	3. Let's Talk

**A/N: Thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews! It means a lot to me, guys! **

**I received a request for a charming family feels story from the pov of MM & David… coming up soon! :D **

**Dark Side:**

**Chapter Three: Let's Talk**

Emma didn't sleep. She couldn't. But she let her mother believe that she drifted off to dream land. After some time, she heard Mary Margaret's breathing grow even. Emma looked over her shoulder to find Mary Margaret leaning against the wall, her eyes closed, her body asleep.

Carefully, Emma slipped from the cot. She spread a blanket over her mother's legs then snuck away to the deck.

Emma walked across the wooden floor while buttoning her jacket and in doing so, not paying attention to her surroundings and bumping into Gold.

"Sorry," Emma grumbled.

"Not a problem," Gold brushed away while continuing on. He didn't get very far before Emma yelled for him to wait. After a small sigh, he turned around.

Her face etched with anger, Emma said, "was there a way?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You could have gotten out of that cell, and if you did you would have had your powers. Right?" she demanded.

Gold nodded.

"You could have stopped the curse from happening."

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

Emma kept a steady face.

"Yes. I could have stopped Regina from casting the curse. But why would I do that when I'm the one who created it?"

"So you could find your son."

"Yes."

"God damn bastard. You blew it with your kid so you thought it would be okay to go around screwing with other peoples lives?!"

David was talking with Hook when he heard Emma yelling.

"Are you forgetting about your son?" Gold asked calmly. "You wouldn't have him if it weren't for the curse."

Emma's anger was boiling. "You saw the future! You could have warned them that Pinocchio was going to take my mother's spot! Why didn't you open your mouth and say something!?"

David hurried across the deck. Emma was angry, screaming right in his face. But Gold was perfectly still, his eyes on her hands. David's forehead wrinkled in confusion. He looked to Emma's hands and his eyes widened when he saw they were glowing. It was dim, but there was light coming from her skin.

"What's going on?!" David shouted while rushing the rest of the way.

Gold sent a glance to David before taking Emma's wrist and lifting her hand in the air.

"What the hell are you-"

"Look," he said firmly.

Emma moved her stare to her hand to find yellow light radiating from her skin.

"That's your power, dearie. Seems love isn't the only trigger," Gold said before dropping her hand and walking away.

"What happened?" David asked worriedly. "Did he do something?"

'You see this too, right?" she asked, her eyes glued to her hands.

David nodded.

"Perks of being the savior," Emma murmured.

"Are you okay?"

Emma shook her daze away. "I'm fine."

"You were yelling. You sounded upset."

"Yeah, well, Gold is… Gold."

David nodded. "Where's Mary Margaret?"

"Sleeping."

"You're supposed to be resting."

"Couldn't if I wanted to."

"Did you two talk… about anything?"

Emma sighed. "It upset her… there's a reason I didn't want to get into anything .My past will just bring up bad feelings and there's no reason to open up that can of worms. She can't handle it. Maybe you can't either. I don't want to find out, so if you would just drop it. Please."

With a deep frown, David nodded, despite his true feelings.

"Thank you," Emma said gratefully. She walked away. David watched her disappear below deck.

XOX

Emma needed a room, any room as long as it was empty. She was about to turn into one when someone pulled on her arm.

"You're wrong."

Emma turned to David.

"Yes, we hate to think that bad things happened to you, but if they did, we need to know. We're a family, Emma. You don't have to go through anything alone."

Emma shook her head. "I can't do this right now. Please, just let it go. I have to find my son. I can't deal with anything else."

Emma didn't wait for a response. She turned into the vacant room, leaving David alone to sigh in relief.

XOX

Mary Margaret didn't sleep for long. She woke up not a half hour later and frowned when she didn't see Emma. She went above deck but David said their daughter wanted to be alone. That didn't stop Mary Margaret from looking for her.

After going below deck and checking two rooms to find them empty, Mary Margaret when sighed in relief she found Emma in the third room. Her heart sank when she saw Emma curled up in a cot. Carefully, she walked through room, trying not to make much noise. When she reached the cot, she knelt to the floor and her frown furthered when she saw tear stains on Emma's cheeks. Mary Margaret tucked Emma's hair behind her ear, causing her to stir.

Emma rolled to her side. She peeled her eyes open and squinted at Mary Margaret as her vision cleared.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Mary Margaret said with a smile.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"I talked to David. He's worried about you."

"I'm fine," Emma argued while swinging her legs to the ground.

"Emma, please, listen to me. Stop trying to protect me. What you said to me before, it was a surprise. That's all. Please don't worry about my feelings… can we talk? It doesn't have to be about that. It can be about anything."

A moment of silence passed when Emma said," being angry makes my hands glow."

Mary Margaret looked confused.

"David didn't tell you."

"No, he didn't."

"Gold said something about love not being the only trigger for my power."

"We shouldn't be surprised. We've seen what you can do and I have a feeling that's just the start."

Emma gave a small smile.

Quiet filled the room. Mary Margaret wanted to talk. Everything that's happened, it opened her eyes to how precious every moment is. The clock could stop ticking at any second. Time could run out in the blink of an eye. Mary Margaret didn't want to wait any longer.

"I don't know much about Neal," Mary Margaret started. "How did you two meet?"

Emma looked at her mother with curiosity.

"You never told me. I'd love to hear about it."

"Oh, well, I stole his car," Emma said simply.

"You stole his car?" Mary Margaret asked in surprise.

"I jumped around a lot. I didn't stay in any one place for too long. There was a car in an alley, my yellow bug. It had been there for a few days. I thought it was abandoned. I, uh… well, I was ready to go somewhere else so I broke in, started driving and he popped out from the back seat."

"Was he angry?"

Emma shook her head. "He was on the run too. He even covered for me when we got stopped by the cops… I guess we liked each other's company. We got along. I never really thought about it but I know now that he was on the run too. He didn't want his dad to find him."

"Was he good to you?" Mary Margaret asked hopefully.

"Up until that whole jail thing, yeah, he was great."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Did he ever give you a reason?"

"He said he wanted me to find home. When he figured out who I was, he realized I needed to break the curse. He took the coward's way out, but… I don't know. Guess it doesn't matter anymore."

"I wanted to be angry with him for what he put you through, but it was hard. He's a nice man. So good with Henry."

"Yeah," Emma agreed. "I know what you mean."

"I'm sorry that he's gone."

"It's not fair to Henry. He just got him back, you know? Now he's gone."

"It's not fair to you either."

"It's not about how I feel. I didn't tell him about his son until it was too late. Now they'll never know each other."

"Oh, Emma, as long as Henry ahs you, he'll be okay."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I."

Emma showed a small smile.

"Nothing you say or do or have done will make me leave. You need to know that."

"I know," Emma murmured.

"No, I don't think you do," Mary Margaret argued. "You put up this front. You put those walls up. Most people can't see through them but I can. I can see that you're scared.

"I just…" Emma sighed in relent. "I'm not good at this… I don't know how to be your daughter."

"You be yourself. You realize that I am your mother and I love you and I'm not leaving you. I know people have walked in and out of your life. But I'm not going anywhere."

Wordlessly, Emma leaned forward to wrap her around Mary Margaret's back. "Love you too."

Mary Margaret smiled at the words as she returned the hug, holding her daughter tight. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then believe me when I say that your past will not scare me away…. Whatever's happened to you, nothing will change how I feel about you."

Emma nodded against her mother's shoulder.

"The last thing I want to do is push you away, but I want you to know that I'm here. I'm right here. And if you'd like to talk, I'd love to listen."

"Okay," Emma agreed, her voice quiet, "let's talk."

Mary Margaret smiled. "What was your favorite color as a child?"

"You won't believe it, but pink."

"Well, you are a princess. Pink makes sense."

Emma rolled her eyes.

_The End_

**I'm not a hundred percent on wrapping this up. There ****_might_**** be more. I'd like to really get into Emma's past, but not in this moment. With Emma, information would come out here and there. I can't see her divulging all of her past right in that moment. Despite her mother's words, I feel Emma would still hesitate… but I am hoping to post a sequel, so stay tuned!**

**Thanks for all the support! Hope you all enjoyed! I loved writing charming feels, so if anyone has any prompts they'd like to see, let me know! **


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